Ticket prices

[redtoon1892]

I went to Newcastle Central today to book two return tickets Newcastle to Manchester airport next month, imagine my surprise when the ticket girl said £30 - open ended tickets, any train until end November assuming you are both over 55 ? I was pleased to say the least.

[60041]

This is a bit like Scotrail's excellent Club 55, anywhere in Scotland, plus Berwick and Carlisle, for £18 return.
The silly thing is that I was looking to book a ticket to Mallaig, but the first 30 miles from Alnmouth to Berwick were going to cost £20 while the 200 miles onward to Mallaig cost £18!
I think I'll drive to Berwick.

[strang steel]

I was amazed when I bought an advance ticket for my wife to travel from Bristol to Ashford (Kent). The price was £18 single and that included the tube journey across London *and* travel between St Pancras and Ashford on the new high speed rail line via Ebbsfleet.

Not bad for over 200 miles of train travel.

John

[soupdragon]

First Groups excellent Club 55 promotion

Details

[Rlangham]

It can be a real lottery - luckily the young person's railcard counts up until you're 25 so i've still got some use out of it yet, but prices can be £7 (London-Durham) or £65 (Durham-London) up to several months in advance! If fares were simpler, and cheaper, rail use would go through the roof and overcrowding would be an everyday norm

[strang steel]

The problem is that the accountants are in charge these days, and that means that maximisation of profits is the name of the game. If they had passenger comfort as a priority then trains on the Bristol to Sheffield route would be 8 to 10 coaches, not a 4 or 5 car Voyager.

But a packed Voyager would be seen as much better because every seat is generating money rather than being available for the "walk-up on the day" casual traveller.

John

[woberty]

I appreciate it if you shop around that you can get cheap ticket.
What does really annoy me is how much it costs to travel to London from North East.
Some trains are only half full after peak travel time.